Buttermilk Chicken Biscuits

It was FREEZING yesterday.

For those of you living outside of the U.S./not obsessed with American politics, yesterday was kind of a big day. First of all, it was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is always a wonderful reminder of how far our country has come and the incredible efforts of people like Dr. King to get us where we are today. On top of that, it was the Inauguration–a.k.a. the one day every four years that D.C. shuts down and really celebrates. There are serious benefits to living in this city.

First of all, the Obamas are awesome. Second of all, Michelle’s bangs looked fantastic.

Also, I love Joe. And Jill’s boots blew my mind. Total props to her for wearing and walking in those.

I was lucky enough to get tickets to the Inaugural Parade from a good friend of mine, so my friends Travis, Christina, Andrew, and I made the quick walk to the White House from the law school around 7.30am in the hopes of getting good seats. Which we did. We also proceeded to freeze for the next 8 hours until the parade finally got underway. What we discovered was that (a) the presence of direct sunlight can instantly improve one’s body temperature, (b) we all need to invest in thicker socks, and (c) the chicken and waffles truck may be the greatest invention known to man. That truck was actually a lifesaver, and it just goes to show how fried chicken can really hit the spot sometimes.

A rare moment of sunshine! This, however, was before Travis and I lost sensation in our toes and wandered off to find the waffle truck.

This past weekend, I made a mini appetizer involving fried chicken for a dinner that I attended. It was a “mini foods” themed potluck, with everyone contributing their favorite bite size foods. There were taquitos, taco-filled pastries, pigs in a blanket, bacon-wrapped poppers, toasty sandwiches, lil smokies, and my little biscuits. While these may seem highly involved, they were actually very easy to make. The marinade is simple and keeps the chicken incredibly tender. Using buttermilk as your base, add your preferred herb (I like thyme) and some spices (in my case, cayenne and garlic). I bet this would taste delicious with a cajun-inspired blend or even with some Mexican seasoning thrown in!

Happy eating!

Cheesy Garlic Bread

All right folks, I’m going to let you in on a secret. This is probably the one recipe that I make which always gets compliments, and I’ve long suspected that it’s the primary reason I get invited back to dinner parties. I have never made this bread and not witnessed it be entirely devoured before the meal is halfway over. Seriously, it is that good.

As you’ve probably noticed, I have a thing for Italian food. Having studied in Florence, my appreciation for Italian cuisine grew exponentially, and I love the use of fresh, seasonal ingredients and simple take on food. Italians don’t make garlic bread like Americans do. For them, it’s a simple piece of toast, rubbed with a piece of raw garlic that accompanies soups. It’s fresh. It’s healthy. And it really showcases the garlic.

But, sometimes. . .well, sometimes you need some good ol’ cheesy “American-style” garlic bread. And that is where this recipe comes in. It’s from America’s Test Kitchen. I haven’t a clue if the recipe is still available online somewhere, but I have made this so many times that I no longer look it up–and I’m fairly certain the measurements are quite different at this point. It’s cheesy. It’s buttery. It’s so bad for you that it’s good. It’s basically the polar opposite of actual Italian garlic bread.

But you know what? Sometimes. . . sometimes I’m ok with that.

I hope this scores you many dinner party invites and provides you endless happiness as you lament the fact that Ben Affleck didn’t receive an Oscar nod for directing Argo (I’m bitter). Happy eating.

Veritas Wine Bar

For those of you who know me, you know that I’m a bit of a wine connoisseur. Now I am FAR from being an expert, but I do like a nice glass of wine.

a glass of Veritas’s grüner veltliner–I highly recommend it

No-Cook Summer Recipes

Prosciutto and Melon Salad, Heirloom Tomato and Peach Salad, Negronis

Summertime is a time for being outside and hanging out with friends and family.  It is not a time for slaving over a hot stove.  Who needs it to be any hotter than it already is?  Luckily, summer is also a time when gardens and farmers’ markets are exploding with great produce that requires little else than a bit of chopping and a dash of salt for eating.

Brandon and I love August, because it means heirloom tomatoes and sweet stone fruits, and last summer, I shared one of our very favorite recipes using just those two ingredients.  This summer, we’ve happened upon another foolproof dish using one of this season’s best ingredients, and to be honest, not one I’ve ever been fond of:  melon.  I’ve always found melon to be cloyingly sweet and unpleasant to eat, but when it’s drizzled in mint-infused balsamic vinegar and wrapped in prosciutto, its deliciousness cannot be denied.

Another score for no-cook summer salads:  they’re easy to pack for picnics and brown bag lunches.  Like Rosemary mentioned in her recipe for wild rice salad, packed lunches can get monotonous, so why not spice them up with an unexpected salad?

Lastly, these recipes are great for brunching and entertaining.  Guests will be surprised that you can pair peaches with tomatoes and ham with melon.  And to really kick it up a notch, serve your salads with an easy, but refreshing summer cocktail, like a Negroni—our unofficial cocktail of summer 2012.  It’s bright red color and citrusy flavor is a great way to get a party started.

Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

I love going to the farmers market. It’s always wonderful seeing the assortment of vegetables and fruits that change throughout the season and often vary from week to week. If I had my way, I’d be able to stroll through a different market every day of the week. While that’s theoretically feasible, those little things called “work,” “school,” and–my least favorite–“budget” make it practically impossible. So when I get the time to go, I tend to indulge.

These were so pretty–had to pick some up for my mom!

One of my favorite things to eat is a zucchini blossom. Incredibly delicate with a mild zucchini flavor, these flowers capture the best of summer. I was first introduced to them through my host family in Italy, and I now spend my summer trips to the farmers market crossing my fingers that they are in stock.

Zucchini Blossoms

If you do find some, be sure to make them the day of. They have an incredibly short shelf life. Preparing zucchini blossoms is also pretty easy. Simply make a slit in one side of the blossom, remove the stamen, and wipe the inside and the outside with a damp paper towel. At that point, you are ready to stuff them with whatever you want, batter them, and pan fry ’em up!

Here’s hoping that there are still zucchini blossoms at your farmers market. Happy eating!

Basil-Goat Cheese Flatbreads

Life sometimes does this thing where it overwhelms you.

First, there were finals.

Then, I started my internship.

Then, Liz graduated from med school (that’s right folks–she’s a real doctor now!).

Then, we had a series of major family events.

Then, my summer class started.

Add to that some great summer cookouts with friends (thanks, Thrasher!) and, somewhere, between all of this, I forgot to blog. Oops. It isn’t that I haven’t been cooking. It’s just that nothing I’ve cooked has been particularly different from things that I have already posted. I’m hoping my “dinspiration” returns once I’ve turned in my brief this week.

I made these flatbreads a while back as a pregame appetizer for Barrister’s Ball. I can’t recall where I saw description of these (I suspect it was on The Kitchn), but I decided instantly that I had to make them. They are simple to make, and they’d make a great addition to the spread at a cookout or summer dinner party. Caramelizing the onions always takes the longest, so be sure to give yourself ample time to complete that step.

Happy eating!

Breakfast Favorites

As mentioned, breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day, but I sometimes find myself in a rut. I adore pancakes, french toast, oatmeal, breakfast burritos, and eggs in almost any form (I refuse to eat them smothered in hollandaise. Weird quirk. I know), and I’m always on the lookout for new breakfast recipes. So I thought I’d compile a list of some of my favorites as of late. If you have a great breakfast recipe, please post it in the comments! I could definitely use some inspiration (and incentive to get going) in the morning. Happy eating!

• Breakfast burritos: Spinach, feta, tomatoes, and mushrooms make for a great “Greek-style” burrito on the run. Pesto, spinach, asparagus, and some Parm makes for a delicious Italian take. My favorite kinds of breakfast burritos, however, involve salsa. There’s something wonderful about the  the slight zing of cilantro and onions that takes a burrito to a whole new level. Just whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons of your favorite salsa into a couple of eggs and quickly scramble on low heat. Wrap it up in a tortilla with a bit of cheddar cheese and, if you have time, some sauteed peppers and onions, and you are good to go!

Stuffed Cremini Mushroms

My apologies again for being off the blogosphere. The past two weeks have been insane. While I really enjoyed my trip to Boston, I wound up falling behind on work. It always seems like everything academic comes at once; add that to the promise of warmer, springtime weather and the very apparent fact that graduation is just over a month away, and a whole bunch of senioritis/stress about the future/excuses to wallow in sorrow with one’s roommates get added into the mix, making school seem that much harder and making homework take so much longer.

On Thursday night, I decided to take a break from all of the crazy event planning and schoolwork that I’ve been doing lately and make dinner for a few friends. Minus my housemate Ena, these were people with whom I do not get to spend nearly enough time, so I was eagerly looking forward to making this meal. The menu was primarily Italian fare, but I think that the best part of the entire meal (other than the amazing pie Liz brought over), were the stuffed mushrooms.

Now I LOVE appetizers – not just eating them, but making them. They are bite-sized portions of some of your favorite foods, made all the more interesting because you know that there is only a little bit of food to convey a whole lot of flavor. They are also a lot more fun to experiment with compared to larger meals; I feel like I can be a bit more adventurous with an appetizer than with a larger dish, as I am not destroying a whole slew of ingredients and possibly destroying the majority of the meal that I intend to feed people that night!

My friend Peter hinted that stuffed mushrooms would be very welcome at Thursday’s meal, and, as I had never made any before, I decided to try my hand at them. I opted to use cremini as I think they have a richer flavor than the average button mushrooms; they also hold up a bit better when cooking. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did. Happy eating!

Samosas, Samosas, Samosas: Guest Blogging and Comfort Food

Hello, all! As you’ve probably gathered by now, we are guest-blogging this week for The Modern Americans, and today features our last post on the site. I opted to share my take on Indian street food – the samosa.

Many thanks again to Nicole for featuring all three of us this week. Be sure to check out Megan’s, Ursela’s, and my posts! Check back here on Friday for a new recipe from me.

Much love and happy cooking!

Rosemary